I've owned the Lansky system for almost 20 years and have been very happy with it. It enables me to get fantastically sharp knives every time with a bit of elbow grease but without having much actual skill. Lansky's system is a brilliant arrangement of a knife clamp with sets of holes that ensure consistent grinding angle for the stones that have long steel guides. This solves the problem of how to hold the stone to the knife at a consistent angle. Using stones to sharpen your knives gives you total control and allows you to achieve the finest edge (much finer than using a chef's choice, motorized bench grinder (which can overheat the blade ruining the temper), or any of those ceramic wheel/rod dohickeys). The available angle choices are 17 degrees (for Asian knives), 20 and 25 (for Western knives) and 30 degrees (for hatchets). Lansky offers various different stones (from natural Arkansas stones, to diamond abrasive). This particular set includes their entire line of synthetic stones - extra coarse, coarse, medium, fine, and extra fine. The stones are of good quality. You'll only use the extra coarse the first time you sharpen a given knife it cuts very quickly). The fine is fine enough to get your blades shaving sharp, but the extra fine really puts the last bit of super sharpness. They also give you a bottle of sharpening oil to help carry away the metal shavings to keep the stones cutting. I don't like using oil so I keep a wet paper towel handy when sharpening and wipe the metal off the stones and blade periodically while sharpening that that works fine for me.

To use the Lansky the process is simple - clamp the blade into the clamp - then scrub the blade against the stone with a consistent angle until you feel a burr (a thin raised seam) along the edge. The burr is your cue to flip the blade over and do the other side. When you get burr on the other side, move onto the next stone. By the time you get to the final fine grade polishing stone and get burr on the last side, then flip and give slight touch with the stone on the other side (to remove the burr but not raise another one) and you'll find your knife is literally shaving sharp (will cut the hairs off your arm).

Is Lansky the perfect sharpening system? For medium and small knives it probably is. Knives over 6"-7" long, however, require you to sharpen 1/2 the knife and then move the clamp and sharpen the other half because the edge angle changes too much if you attempt to sharpen too far from the guide hole. The stones themselves are pretty small (about as wide as your middle finger and as long as your hand) so it can take a long time to do a big knife. I can do a 5" utility knife in about 5-10 minutes, but an 8" Chef's knife can take more than double that - which starts to become a bit of a big project. If you do a lot of big knives you'll probably want to spring for an Edge Pro Apex (same mechanical concept, bigger size for much much more money). If you only periodically sharpen then this can be lived with. You shouldn't sharpen your knives more than once or twice a year (or they wear out too quickly) since sharpening removes metal. You should use a honing steel frequently in between sharpenings to keep your knives sharp.

Lansky's system is the best way for normal regular people (non fanatics) to sharpen their knives. It's pretty easy, fun, satisfying, and extremely effective. 5 stars

I have had a Lansky for a couple years, this one was a gift. They are without a doubt the best sharpener I have used. They take all the guess work out of it. Highly recommended. 5 stars

First off, Im not a professional chef. I was lucky enough to work under a great chef when I was in college and learned to value a sharp edged knife. I have purchased a lot of knives over the years. I have good german knives (F Dick) and good japanese knives (Misono, Hattori and Shun) I have never been able to put a good edge on a knife consistently. Ive gotten to the point that I rotate and send out my knives to be professionally sharpened...and wrecked.

Ah...The Lansky System. it is a system...it works, its fairly easy and it consistently puts a great edge on my knives. I practiced on some NSF junk I keep to put out for the inlaws when they house sit and they edge it put on the pitted and chunked edge was great. if you buy it get the universal mount because it can be awkward w/o it. 5 stars

On certain types of knives this is the perfect system. It allows you to use a manual hone for precision sharpening at a variety of common angles without worrying too much about holding the knife just right. The stones are good quality and sharpen well. There is a nice variety of grits to choose from. On the downside, however, the clamp has a tendency to scratch the blade so you need to line it with tape. Further, it won't hold any knife with a ridged center spine properly. Larger blades such as hunting knives, Bowies, machetes, and whatnot are too big; the guides simply don't reach. If you get the optional stand attachment (Lansky Convertible Super "C" Clamp) it's a bit easier to use, but that's a significant additional expense at roughly half the price of the sharpening kit and a real rip-off considering how flimsy it actually is. The bottom line is that an Arkansas stone or similar whetstone does as good a job or better (assuming you use it right) without the drawbacks. I'm underwhelmed... Good for certain applications but not something I'd buy again. 3 stars

I bought the Lansky Deluxe 5 Hone kit to replace another manufacturer's 3 piece set. This kit is easy to use & works very well. Used properly, it gives a very sharp edge to all my knives, from the smallest pen knife to a large hunting knife. I would strongly urge everyone who purchases this set, or any other set, to read & follow the instructions carefully. The system is definitely worth the price. 4 stars